Bag-counting means.



J. DUVALL. BAGACOUNTING MEANS. Arrucmon man nec. n. 1915.

Patented J an. 2, 1917.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES DUVALL, oF camas, WAsHmGToN.

BAG-COUNTING MEANS.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES DUVALL, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Camas, county of Clarke, and State of fashington, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Bag-Counting Means, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved method of counting paper bags asthey are delivered from the bag machine and stacked, one on top of theother, in a receptacle suitable to receive the same.

The object of my invention is to provide an accurate and automatic meansofindicatin not only when a predetermined number of ags have been madeand stacked, but also to move the stack of counted bags out of alinementwith the succeeding bags as they drop into the receiver, thusestablishing a plain line of demarcation between the counted anduncounted bags.

The method commonly in use on bag machines for determining when acertain number of bags have been made is to mount a worm and worm wheelon the bag machine in the ratio determined upon; that is, the worm willmake one revolution for each bag made and the worm wheel is soproportioned that it will complete one revolution when the predeterminednumber of bags have been made. Usually this ratio is fifty to one, andone revolution of the Worm wheel means that fifty bags have been made.Just ,as the worm wheel completes one revolution a inger'attachedthereto strikes a. lever that rings a bell and thus the bag-machineoperator is notified that a stack of fifty bags needs immediate removalfrom the receiving box. If the operator is quick enough the fifty bagsare promptly removed and the number of bags in the package will becorrect; but if the operator delays just an instant, as frequentlyhappens unavoidably, a few of the succeeding bags, which belong to thenext set of fifty, will fall on top of the counted bags and all being inthe same alinement, the stack will contain perhaps from fifty-four tofifty-five bags when removed from the box; then when the worm wheelagain completes its revolution and rings the bell, the succeeding stackwill contain only forty-five or forty-six bags. This means loss of timeif the operator has to recount the bags and is a source of constanttrouble with the trade if the number of bags in a package is notuniform. My improved Specification of Letters Patent.

counting device makes it impossible to have the wrong number of paperbags in a rStack and moreover gives the operator ample time in'which toremove the counted bags from the receiving box. This will becomeapparent from the following description of my counting attachment andmethod.

Figure 1 is a plan of the bottom of the receiving box, showing a slotand kicker arm therein and the location of a solenoid or suction magneton the side ofthe box. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, showing the solenoidconnected with the bell crank 4 and the kicker arm 5 extendingunderneath the bottom of the box with the bent part thereof passingthrough a slot in the bottom. Fig. 3 is a rear end view and Fig. 4 is afront view or elevation, after inclined part 19 of the box has beenremoved showing the relation of the counted and uncounted bags. Fig. 5is a plan of the box part of Fig. 4, showing the counted bags 7 out ofalinement with the uncounted bags G. Fig. 6 is a plan showing wormv andworm gear or wheel, 9 and l0, with insulated contact 12 and electricalconnections with solenoid 2. Fig. 7 is a side view of the solenoid andkicker arm unattached from the bag receiving box. Fig. 8 is aperspective of the box and counting at tachment. Fig. 9 is an end viewof wheel 11 carrying insulated connection 12, showing the relationbetween 12 and the terminals 15.

As before stated the relation. between the worm 9 and the worm wheel10,-which,are actuated by a rotating shaft on the bag macliine,--iscarefully determined, the worm making one revolution for each bag madeand the worm wheel completing a revolution when the predetermined numberof bags has been made. Instead of the usual bell tripping attachment Iplace a small wheel 11, Figs. 6 and 9, on the worm wheel shaft and affixthereto an insulated piece of wire or metal on its circumference, thewheel 11 completing a revolution in the same time as the worm wheel 10.The wires 13 and 14: are connected -to solenoid'2 and one of the wiresis in series with a source of electrical energy-a 110 volt circuit ,issuitable. The openterminals 15 are so placed that the insulated piece ofwire 12, as it is carried around in exact time with the wheel 10, willstrike both of these terminals at the same time, thus completing anelectrical circuit and solenoid 2 will become active for an instant oftime; as soon as the electrical connection y Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

Application led December 11, 1915. Serial No. 66,840.

between 12 and 15 is broken the solenoid becomes ctive. This suctionmagnet or solenoid 2 is -placed on the side of the bag receiving box asshown, its core 3 is connected to l ell crank 4t, 4, Figs. 1, 2, (3, 7and 8. it the bottom end of this bell crank e is attached a heavy Wireor rod 5, called the kicker arm, Figs. 1, 2, and 8, which passesunderneath the receiving box and is then bent at an angle, passingthrough a slot 17 in the bottom of the box, so that the part of the armin the box is parallel to the inclination of the front end of the box.rl`he forvard end of the receiver is inclined so that as the paper bagsare fed into it, With the closed ends or bottoms of the bags foremost,they ivillstack up one on top of the other with the front edge of eachbag just a little ahead the bag on top of it, which greatly facilitatesan examination of the bottoms of the bags vvhen the operator runs overthem. A recess or groove 18, Figs. 2 and S, is provided to receive thatpart of the kicker arm within the box when held back inposition by thespring 8 after the solenoid has become inactive. This is necessarybecause when the bags are fed into the receiver parallel 'to the closedside, they would strike the kicker arm unless it was held back in thegroove.

rihe operation of my device is simple and this constitutes one of themerits of my in- `vention. lllhen the wheel 11 makes one revolution, theinsulated Wire 12 thereon strikes the terminals 15, closing an electriccircuit vwhich causes the suction magnet 2 to draiv in its core 3, whichbeing attached to thc arm i1 of the crank arm et actuates the kicker arm5, ivhich pushes or kicks the stacked lues in 'the receiver box out ofalinement ivi* Yhe closed side of the box and to- Ward its open side,thus indicating that the proper number of bags have been counted and areready for inspection and packing. rhis movement is quite rapid, as theWheel 11 is constantly turning and the contact 12 quickly passes theterminals 15. rThe solenoid then becomes inactive and the spring 8,Figs. 2, 8 and 8, forces the core 3 of the solenoid back into positionand the kicker arm 5 returns to its groove 1S in the closed side ofthebox. A part, 15, Figs. 1, 5 and 8, of the bottom of the box is cut awayto make it easier for the operator to seize the counted and remove themfrom the receiver.

lt is obvious that many changes maybe m ade in the construction aboveset forth without departing from the principles of my invention andtherefore I do not desire to limit myself to the precise constructionshown, believing it to be broadly new to Yincrocia count and segregatepaper bags in the manner described.

l claim,-

1. In a counting attachment for bag ma chines, a holder or box toreceive the bags as they are delivered from the machine and stacked oneon top of the other, a kicker arm in said box free to oscillate toivardand away from the open side of the box, a bell crank to which the kickerarm is attached, a solenoid Whose core is attached to the horizontal armof said bell crank, a spring on said bell crank which restores thekicker arm and core into operative position When the solenoid isinactive, a worm and Worm Wheel ivhich governs the time of rotation ofan insulated piece of Wire or metal, which at fixed intervals closes theelectrical circuit controlling said solenoid.

2. In a counting attachment of the class described, a stationaryreceiver into which the units to be counted are stacked one on top ofthe other, a kicker arm in said receiver, a solenoid Whose movableplunger is attached to said kicker arm and a moving contact that closesat fixed intervals the electric circuit controlling the solenoid, sothat the bottom bunch of stacked units in the receiver is pushed out ofalinement by the said kicker arm before any of the succeeding units aredeposited on top of the said bottom bunchof units.

3. ln a counting attachment for bag machines, a receptacle into whichthe bags as made are stacked one on top of the other, a kicker arm somounted on the receptacle that its free end can oscillate toivard andaway from; the open side of the receptacle and a` suction magnet Whichoperates at predetermined intervals rto actuate said kicker arm, andmove the bottom bunch of bags out ofalinement with the direction of feedbe fore any succeeding bags are deposited on top of the bottom bunch.

et. ln a counting attachn'ient for bag mae chines, the combination witha stationary receptacle for receiving the bags in superimposed rclation,of a pusher arm which engages at iixed intervals a stack of units,pushing them slightly out of alinement with the direction of feed sothat the succeeding units ivill be deposited, in the line of feed on topof this bottom bunch of slightly displaced units.

ln Witness whereof l have hereunto set my hand in the presence of tivoWitnesses.

JAMES DUVALL.

Witnesses:

T. S. RoBi'NsoN, AARON N. Corien.

Copies of this patent may 'oe obtained for ve cents each. by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

